


Confessions

by Squarepeg72



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas Dinner, M/M, Makeup Sex, Post-Break Up, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:53:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22642150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squarepeg72/pseuds/Squarepeg72
Summary: Ron and Draco have not seen each other since their fight in the garden of the Burrow months ago. Can a mother's meddling and a holiday dinner fix what has been broken? Can a confession or two heal broken hearts?
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Ron Weasley
Comments: 16
Kudos: 106
Collections: Ron/Draco Fest - Better Together





	Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Ron/Draco Better Together Fest 2020
> 
> A HUGE THANK YOU to GaeilgeRua for her AMAZING beta skills!
> 
> Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended
> 
> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/148170750@N07/49708940381/in/dateposted-public/)

Molly Weasley looked at the two parchments she had laid out on the table. “If those two stubborn boys won’t do it, then I guess I will,.” she grumbled as she started to fold the first piece of parchment. “Tempers and stubbornness and those two need to get over themselves.”

The Weasleys’ owls carefully picked up the letters Molly held out. They had learned to never question where Molly sent them when she was in a mood. “Pig, to Ronald, Smoke, to Draco. Don’t let those stubborn boys refuse them. Now, off with you.”

In a rustle of wings, Molly put her plan into action.

* * *

Draco was surprised when a slightly ruffled owl pecked at his study window. He was enjoying his tumbler of firewhisky and staring at the fire that crackled in the grate. “Hold your feathers. I’m coming.”

Draco pulled open the window to let the owl in. Shaking snow from its feathers, the owl dropped his missive and flew to the perch by the fireplace. Draco picked up the envelope and broke the wax seal on the back.

_“Draco dear,_

_Christmas Dinner is at six tomorrow night. I expect to see you at the Burrow before dinner starts. All you need to bring is yourself. No one should spend the holidays alone._

_Come home,_  
_Molly”_

Draco read the missive three times before he moved from his chair. There was no way the mother of his former lover was inviting him to Christmas dinner. He and Ron had imploded in the garden of the Burrow in June. It was over something stupid, and he had let his pride rip his heart out of his chest. He couldn’t remember the words that were said, but he could still feel their echoes in his hollow chest. Molly was right, he shouldn’t spend the holidays alone.

* * *

Ron threw the small ball across the lab and waited for it to explode into a shower of glitter. Nothing happened. “Bloody hell, nothing works like it is supposed to. It is a simple charm that a child could cast. Why the hell is it not working?”

“What was that little brother?” George stuck his head in as the glitter bomb exploded on the far side of the lab. “You have been growling like a dragon with a thorn in its claw for months. Go home and sleep.”

Ron sputtered and tried to get the glitter out of his hair. “What are you doing here? I thought you went home a while ago. I don’t need your wife mad at me for keeping you here late the week of Christmas. Go home.”

“I am delivering something. Your owl showed up at my house when it didn’t find you at home.” George laughed as he walked across the lab to lay a piece of folded parchment on Ron’s desk. “I’m heading back home as soon as you open it. I do not want a Howler from Mum just because you have been hiding in the lab since June.’

“I am not hiding,” Ron grumbled as he broke the seal on the back of the parchment. “ I have been trying to get this bloody glitch in this damn glitter bomb fixed so we can actually make a galleon or two off of it.”

“Go home, little brother.” George ruffled Ron’s hair and walked out of his lab. “We miss you. Don’t spend the holidays in this lab. It’s not worth it.”

Ron waited for the sound of George leaving by Floo before he opened the missive from his mother.

_“Ron darling,_

_Christmas Dinner is at six tomorrow night. I expect you to be at the Burrow (without glitter in your hair) before dinner. Bring some chocolate frogs for the little ones. You cannot hide in the lab forever, son. We miss you._

_Come home,_  
_Mum”_

Ron sighed as he sat the missive on his desk. “She’s right. I have been hiding here. But what am I supposed to do? The bloody flat echoes because he is not there.”

Slumping into his chair, Ron looked around the lab. Going to the Burrow would mean facing the garden and the ghosts that haunted it. But, as always, Mum was right. He needed to get out of the lab and start living again. Just because he was missing his heart did not mean he didn’t keep living. Christmas was as good a time as any to face a ghost or two.

* * *

Draco tugged at the collar of his dress shirt. He was trying to strike a balance between the formal dress his parents had always expected and the comfort that the Weasleys had helped him find.

Dark denim and a green jumper over a white dress shirt sounded good when Blaise had thrown clothes at him this morning. It was a strange thing to ask his old friend and barrister for fashion advice, but Blaise had been the only one to answer his emergency owl this morning. “If you are going to dinner at the Burrow at her invitation, dress to impress him. You have to decide what you want. To fight for what you had or to walk away after tonight.”

Draco knew Blaise was right. He needed to decide if he wanted to fix what had broken in the garden at the Burrow or if he wanted to find something new. But, to fix what he had broken, he had to apologize. “Bloody hell, that red-headed trickster. How do I give him what he wanted without losing everything?”

A scratch at the window gave him the answer he had been looking for.

* * *

Ron ran a hand through his hair. He should not be nervous going to Christmas dinner with his family. There was not much he could do with his hair or his beard now, Mum would just have to fuss. Besides, the beard kept his face warm, and he was finally figuring out how to rock the man bun.

Reaching for a scrap of parchment from the pile he kept on his bedside table, Ron scratched out “Happy Christmas, Draco. I miss you. Come home.” Folding and sealing the note, Ron whistled for his owl. “Be careful with this, Pig. You know how he feels about owls at Christmas. Come to Mum’s after you give it to him.”

Ron watched Pigwidgen fly into the snow with his last chance to fix things.

* * *

Draco stepped out of the Floo into chaos. Red hair and laughter everywhere. Molly flapped a tea towel at his shoulders and pulled him into a firm hug. “Draco dear, so good to see you. Let’s get you freshened up, and you can help Ginny in the kitchen. Harry won’t let her do anything. Like she will break just because she is pregnant…”

Draco followed behind Molly as she continued to catch him up on all the Weasley gossip. She finally stopped talking when they reached the kitchen. “Ginny, dear. Let him help you.”

“Which him, Mum?” Ginny asked as she turned to face them. “Not the him I was expecting. Hello, Draco. Does my brother know you are here?”

“If it was one of the redheads in the sitting room, yes. If you mean Ron, then - no.” Draco smiled as he took in the changes that had happened with Ginny since the last time he saw her. “I can see why your mother has you in here. When is the blessed event?”

“March.” Ginny sighed and rubbed her stomach. “They all act like I am going to break. I’m a retired Quidditch player and have already had one child. Why does he always do this?”

“Because he loves you.” Draco sat at the table and patted the chair beside him. “We have all lost too much to treat the ones we love as anything less than precious. I think I forgot that for a while.”

“He still loves you.” Ginny sat down and laid her head on Draco’s shoulder. “I don’t know what that fight was about this summer, but Ron hasn’t been the same since. I’m still not in the mood to forgive you.”

“Is he coming tonight?” Draco asked as he looked around the cosy kitchen. “I think he and I need to settle a few things. Mind if I stay with you until I get the courage to face them?”

“Never thought you were one to run from a challenge, Malfoy.” Ginny smiled and patted Draco’s knee. “Mum has plenty for us to do in here until the stubborn one arrives. Wash or dry?”

* * *

Ron stood in the dark and watched his heart laugh with his little sister. Draco and Ginny were doing something in front of the large window in the kitchen. It was amazing to see how well Draco fit into the scene. So different from the first time Draco had visited the Burrow. _So stiff and formal._ “Bloody hell, I have to get in there. “

Ron felt foolish knocking on the front door of the Burrow, but it was the only way he could think to get in without dropping into someone’s lap. He had made the choice to apparate instead of using the Floo. So, now he had to use the front door.

“Ronald, what are you doing out here?” Molly opened the door and pulled him into the front hall. “I have been shooing your brothers away from the Floo for the last half hour waiting for you. And what have you done with your hair? A beard, Ronald? I thought your brother’s scruff had taught you better than that.”

“Hello, Mum. It was easier to apparate from town than Floo.” Ron kissed Molly’s offered cheek and followed her into the sitting room. “I let my hair grow and, according to the ladies in the lab, I rock a man bun. As for the scruff, I learned from Charlie’s mistakes. Keep it trimmed and don’t play with dragons. Happy Christmas, Mum.”

Molly took a swat at Ron’s shoulder with her tea towel and then patted his face. “So it seems. I have missed seeing you here. Don’t stay gone so long next time.”

“Okay, Mum.” Ron swallowed the tears that tried to rise. “I see your little minions have my brothers and best friend trapped in the sitting room. Should I distract them with what I have brought?”

“Attention, small creatures in the sitting room, Uncle Ron has arrived, and he has chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts.”

Ron braced for the impact of small, and large, bodies as he finished his announcement. It felt good to be home for Christmas.

* * *

Draco stuck his head into the sitting room to announce that dinner was ready. He lost his voice when he saw Ron in a tangle of nieces, nephews, and siblings. Long hair pulled back into a small bun and a full beard, Ron still looked like the wizard that held his heart. Ginny’s hand on his shoulder drew him out of his daze.

“Alright, everybody off the lost uncle.” Ginny pushed past Draco towards the scrum on the sitting room floor. “Time to wash hands and faces. Dinner is on the table. That goes for all the Weasleys, Potters and Granger-Woods.”

Grumbles followed Ginny as she swept through the sitting room towards the back hall. A trail of ginger-haired hellions followed her, both young and old. “She takes after her mother, you know.” Arthur sighed as he fell into line. “Ron, your guest is here.”

Draco struggled to breathe as Ron looked up from the floor. Mischievous blue eyes sparkled as Ron spotted Draco standing in the doorway. “Dad, he’s not my guest. But, he is welcome to stay. I guess I should wash up too.”

Draco watched Ron spring up from the floor and walk away from him. He did not miss the fact that the worn jeans Ron was wearing were hugging his well-toned arse and had always been one of his favourite pairs. The dark thermal stretched across Ron’s shoulders and drew attention to the scars that wrapped around his forearms. “Bloody hell, I am an idiot. I should have answered that question differently.”

“Yes, you are, dear.” Molly startled Draco as she came up behind him. “When a man like that asks you to marry him, you might want to say yes. Fear has destroyed more relationships than it has ever saved. Are you going to do something to fix what you broke?”

“How do you know what he asked me in June?” Draco whispered and tried not to sink to the floor. “I never said a word to anyone about why we fought that day.”

“He’s my son, and I saw the ring.” Molly placed a hand on Draco’s cheek. “He has lost a bit of weight and his eyes are always sad. The beard and hair don’t hide that. I am waiting for you to be my son, too. Fix this, Draco.”

“I’m trying to figure out how. He has returned every owl I have sent with the messages never read.” Draco swallowed hard and closed his eyes. “He is so stubborn. How do I win him back if I can’t get him to talk to me?”

“Show him, dear.” Molly walked towards the kitchen, motioning for him to follow her. “He will be sitting beside you at dinner. Use your time wisely.”

With a wink and a smile, Molly disappeared into the kitchen to let Draco absorb what she had said.

* * *

Ron looked around the table to find his place. Just like old times, he had been shuffled to the back of the line for the washbasin and was the last into the kitchen to eat. The only space left was between his mother and Draco. “Bloody hell, I think she is matchmaking again,” he muttered as he sat in the only seat left at the table.

It did not help his temper that Draco looked delicious with his crisp white shirt sticking out of the collar of his green jumper while his shirttails peeked out from the bottom. He was going to have trouble keeping his eyes on the food and his attention on the conversations that were happening around the table.

“Happy Christmas, Draco,” Ron whispered as he settled into his seat at the table. “How have things been at the Ministry?”

Draco lowered his eyes to the platter that was being shoved in his direction and plucked off a few pieces of ham. “Happy Christmas, Ronald. Things are as they have always been. Busy enough to keep it from being boring. How are things at the shop?”

Ron shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he took the platter from Draco. “Busy. Trying to get out some new treasures for the new year has been taking all my time in the lab. I’ll send over the patents when we have finished the spell work.”

“Why don’t you bring them by yourself,” Draco muttered as the last of the platters passed between them. “I have missed seeing you. It is how we met after all.”

“Hurts too much.” Ron’s whisper caused Draco to swallow hard. “It is easier to send them by owl than to face you. A simple and quiet no would have worked. You didn’t have to tear everything to shreds that night in the garden.”

Draco placed a shaking hand on Ron’s thigh under the table. He felt Ron tense as he began to stroke. “I can never apologize enough for what I said that night. I was stupid and scared. This is not where I was taught I could be.”

“This is not the place for this conversation.” Ron placed a hand over Draco’s and moved his leg away. “There are too many ears here. Can we please just get through dinner without causing a scene?”

“As you wish,” Draco cleared his throat as he looked around the quiet table. “I don’t believe I have ever seen a group so quiet at this table. I promise that I am only here to share time with friends I have come to treasure and have missed. Carry on with your gossip. It has been a while since I was not the centre of it all.”

Conversations resumed, and laughter once again flowed around the Weasleys’ kitchen table. Ron watched Draco show glimpses of the man he had come to love and missed deeply as he joined in the conversations and the laughter.

Ron was about ready to run for a cold shower by the time his mum called an end to dinner. Draco’s hand on his thigh at the beginning of the meal had caught the attention of his now throbbing cock. The small touches as platters were passed around the table and the shy looks from under heavy lashes had Ron wishing they were anywhere but here. The smell of apples and sandalwood seemed to cover up the smells of Christmas dinner as they sat beside each other. He was beginning to think some of those touches were more than accidental when Draco’s thigh pressed against his under the table.

“Time to take this into the sitting room and around the tree,” Molly announced as forks began to settle on plates. “Ron, since you were the last to arrive, I need you to clear the table. Draco, be a dear and help.”

A chorus of “Yes, Mum”s and “Yes, dear” were followed by the scrapping of chairs back from the table. Ron closed his eyes in an effort to stay still and convince his throbbing cock to settle down. There was no way he was standing up until he had it under control.

“Are you coming, Ron?” Draco’s question drew a groan as he felt a tug on his bun. “She’ll be back to drag us in with the rest if we take too long.”

“Give me a minute,” Ron’s voice cracked as he tried to settle his breathing. “You are not helping matters. I haven’t seen you in six months.”

“And now we are alone,” Draco bent to whisper in Ron’s ear. “We can talk about why you are so stiff in your chair or why you haven’t seen me in six months.”

“Bloody hell,” Ron stiffened further as Draco bit his ear before he pulled away. “You are definitely not helping matters here. You took my heart and trampled it in the garden, but I can’t seem to stop the way I feel. If we weren’t here with a sitting room full of nosy wizards...”

“There is always the garden.” Draco tugged the tie loose that held Ron’s hair back and ran his fingers through the loose curls. “I need to apologize for a few things, and so do you. I meant it when I said I have missed you.”

Ron grabbed Draco’s wrist as he turned to walk away from the table. “I agree that we both have things to apologize for. Tonight is not the time or place. I have found I can't live with or without you.”

Draco pulled Ron’s hand from his wrist and walked to the sink. “Let’s just get through tonight without imploding. We can talk in the garden tomorrow.”

Ron ran his shaking fingers through his hair. “So she talked you into staying the night? Where is Mum putting you up?”

Draco watched Ron push back from the table and gather his hair back into a messy bun. “The same place I have always stayed when I am here.”

Draco could have sworn he heard Ron whisper “Oh fuck” as he gathered dishes from the table and slowly walked to him at the sink.

“Two can play at this game, love.” Ron’s whisper caused more than Draco’s spine to stiffen as he watched Ron walk away to gather more dishes.

* * *

The giving and receiving presents seemed to drag on for hours. Draco was surprised by the number of gifts he received, including a Weasley sweater of his own. Feeling welcome in another family’s celebration was something he had missed even more than the man who was quickly consuming his thoughts.

“You will always be a part of this family, Draco dear,” Molly whispered as she handed him the package. “Just give him time.”

He had spent the time between opening presents teasing Ron. Whether it was the brush of the hand against his arse as Ron helped pass out presents or playing with the curls that escaped the man bun as Ron leaned against his legs while he sat in front of him, Draco could not seem to keep his hands or his eyes off of Ron. Long after the sitting room was empty, he stayed on the sofa, listening to parents settle children in their beds and watching the fire dance in the fireplace. He began to wonder what it would be like to spend every holiday as he had today.

Draco was startled from his thoughts by a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Time to turn in. Mum is expecting us all to help degnome the garden in the morning. Another Weasley family tradition.” Ron smirked as he delivered the unwelcome news.

“I’ll be up in a minute,” Draco croaked as he rubbed his jaw. “Just need to get my thoughts together. Don’t wait up.”

“I always do,” Ron ran a finger up the side of Draco’s neck and across his cheek. “Who do think sends owls by your window in the dead of night to make sure you are home and safe?”

“Ronald, please,” Draco groaned as he felt Ron drag his fingers through his short hair. “I need to breathe for a few minutes, I’ll be up soon.”

“Don’t make me wait, Malfoy,” Ron whispered as he walked away. “I have waited long enough.”

* * *

Ron let his head fall against the door as he closed his eyes. He was playing with fire, and he knew it. He had barely been able to walk after he had run his fingers through Draco's hair in the sitting room. He had to get control before he had to share this space with him.

Slowly, Ron made his way to his narrow bed. He had two choices, he could leave it where it was, or he could create a larger bed by joining it to the bed on the other side of the room. “The worst he can say is no,” Ron grimaced as he began to charm the two beds together. “Now. I wait. This is definitely more comfortable than the sofa he was sleeping on in the sitting room.”

Ron stripped off his shirt and jeans as he thought about the last time he had shared this bed with Draco. He laid down on his side and tried to get his breathing under control. Closing his eyes, he reached for his throbbing cock.

“Not fair, Weasley.” Draco’s voice sent shivers down Ron’s spine. “I think you have your hand where mine should be. I have waited six months and through a very long evening with your family to get my hands on you.”

“Got tired of waiting, Malfoy.” Ron took a deep breath as he opened his eyes. “It’s not like you haven’t spent all evening teasing me. You did not accidentally put your hand in my lap while you talked to my mother at dinner.”

Draco pulled his jumper over his head as Ron watched and stroked his own cock. “Just like you didn’t wear those arse hugging jeans I bought you because they were comfortable. I got your note before I left the Manor.”

“Which note?” Ron groaned as he watched Draco continue to undress. “I have sent a lot of notes to the Manor over the last six months.”

“Today’s note.” Draco pulled the worn piece of parchment for the pocket of the pants he had just taken off. “The only reason I came was because of this note. How much do you miss me?”

Draco settled on to the bed beside Ron as he waited for his answer. With only the thin layers of their briefs between them, he was having trouble controlling his hands and his cock. Draco knew he could not touch Ron until he had closed the distance he had put between them.

“How much does a person miss breathing? Miss his heart beating in his own chest?” Ron’s answer was a whisper that stroked Draco’s cock. “How much have you missed me? How empty is that great big house without me? How much?”

Ron alternated stokes on his cock with strokes over Draco’s. The tease of touching his own skin while only touching the fabric that covered Draco’s was stretching his control. “I need an answer, Malfoy. I need…”

Ron’s plea was cut off by Draco’s lips. Biting kisses followed by deep strokes stopped the questions and Ron’s ability to breathe and think at the same time. “Shut up and marry me, Weasley,” Draco growled as he continued to trail kisses along Ron’s jaw. “I’m tired of fighting this, and I'm tired of missing you. I never realized that I gave you my heart long before you asked for my hand. Fuck, that feels so good.”

Ron had slipped his hand under the band of Draco’s briefs as he had whispered his words against Ron’s skin. Ron wrapped his fingers around Draco’s throbbing cock as he had demanded Ron marry him. Ron could feel his climax build as Draco’s hand wrapped around his own cock.

“Name the time and place, and I will be there,” Ron gasped as Draco bit his earlobe and squeezed his cock at the same time. “Please tell me you set the silencing charms before you came in here. Draco, please love, I need to feel all of you.”

“Yes, I set the charms. But no touching yet. I need an answer, my dear,” Draco groaned as he pulled away from Ron and waved a shaking hand at both their bodies. “Just had to get rid of some cloth. Where were we?”

Ron took his time reaching for the open drawer on the bedside table. Pulling out a tube of lube, Ron watched Draco settle back on to the bed. Slowly, Ron took the lid off the tube and filled his palm with the apple-scented contents.

“I believe we were right about here.” Ron felt Draco shutter as he wrapped one hand around Draco’s cock and used the other to pull their bodies together. “The answer is yes because I asked the question first. The answer is tomorrow because I can’t live another day without you.”

Draco groaned as he felt Ron’s hand slide up and down his length. He struggled to keep his control when he felt Ron’s grip change as he wrapped his hand around both of their cocks. “Ron, please…”

“Please, what?” Ron continued to use long and lazy strokes over their slippery cocks. “Do you like the way it feels? Our cocks against each other. Does it make you want to explode? I can feel you shiver. So much need to control.”

Draco lost his battle for control when Ron bit down on his lower lip. He groaned Ron’s name as he felt Ron join him in an explosive climax. Draco rested his forehead against Ron’s as he tried to catch his breath. “So, who’s telling your mum we are getting married in the morning? She is expecting us to degnome the garden.”

“That is why I have siblings.” Ron kissed Draco deeply as he waved a hand to clean up the mess they had made. “I have a feeling she won’t mind. She is getting another son, and I am happy.”

Draco laid his head on Ron’s shoulder as they settled into the bed. Sleepy, he caught a long curl of Ron’s hair and twirled it around his finger. “Are you sure you won’t change your mind in the morning? You have the power to break me, and I don’t know that I can survive that again.”

“I have one present left for you to open.” Ron pressed a soft kiss on Draco’s forehead. “I got them the day I asked you in the garden, and I haven’t changed my mind since.”

Draco opened his eyes as he felt the curl removed from his hand and replaced with a small velvet box. “Open it. love. I think it has all the answers you need.”

Ron held his breath as he waited for Draco to open the small box. He let it out when Draco took the thin gold bands out of the box. “Which is which? They look the same except for the stones.”

Ron took the rings from Draco. “Give me your hand. I’ll explain.”

Draco sat up in their bed and laid his left hand in Ron’s right hand. He watched Ron twirl the thin band set with a pair of sapphires between the fingers of his left hand. “With this ring, I promise to be the one to love you forever. I promise to be there when you are strong and when you are weak. I promise to never leave and to find a way to build a home. I love you, Draco.”

Draco struggled to breathe as he felt Ron slip the ring over his ring finger. He leaned down to kiss Ron as he felt invisible strings bind his soul to another.

“Care to finish the spell?” Ron asked as he held up the other ring. “Sapphires for me. Moonstones for you. Our rings match the eyes of the man who holds out heart and soul.”

Draco took the ring Ron was holding and smiled. “Give me your hand. I’ll see if I can remember the words. Doesn’t this have to be witnessed?”

“Not this part.” Ron sat up and rested his forehead against Draco’s. “This part is a Weasley family tradition. Quiet promises between two partners before the public stuff. Mum has everything we will need for tomorrow in a safe place. She has for months.”

Draco picked up Ron’s left hand and slid the ring over the tip of his ring finger. “With this ring, I promise to be the one to love you forever. I promise to be there when you are strong and when you are weak. I promise to never leave and to find a way to build a home. I love you, Ronald.”

Ron nipped at Draco’s bottom lip as he felt the cool metal slide over his finger. “Care to seal this with more than a kiss?”

Draco chuckled as he slipped his free hand into Ron’s hair. “Let me show you how much I have missed you. I love you, Ronald Bilius Weasley-Malfoy.”

Ron pushed Draco back onto the bed as he took control of the kiss. “Not as much as I love you, Draco Lucius Malfoy-Weasley. I think it’s time to show you just how much.”


End file.
